Cricket Australia (CA) has announced that the country's top female cricketers will now earn up to 80,000 dollars within a year.
The women team has won Women's World Cup and the T20 trophy, prompting CA to consider female cricket as professional, News.com.au reports.
CA chief executive James Sutherland compared the women's cricket team to the men's cricket club, saying that the association wants to see the female cricketers' strong commitment towards their cricket career as much as the professional men cricketers.
Sutherland also said that recognizing and prioritizing women's cricket has been their top agenda for some time, looking forward to Ellyse Perry as an ambassador of the sport.
Perry too acknowledged CA's initiative and said that Sutherland and the association have supported the players tremendously by recognizing the team and making it easier for them to represent their country.
Perry further said that female cricket not only adds a feminine touch to the game but also brings communities together, adding that women cricket will inspire young talents to take up a professional elite sport as their career.
Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) chief executive Paul Marsh said that the pay rise that has happened for the first time across the board for all players and teams will witness more number of retainers for CA-contracted players.
